


Something Real

by TomatoBookworm



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-06
Updated: 2019-10-06
Packaged: 2020-11-25 17:51:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,015
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20916134
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TomatoBookworm/pseuds/TomatoBookworm
Summary: “Phil,” Melinda interrupted him. “We’ve been living together for the past three years. In Tahiti. You are not proposing in the middle of my mother’s kitchen.”





	Something Real

**Author's Note:**

> *This work is posted on ArchiveOfOurOwn.org for free. I do not object to personal downloads via ArchiveOfOurOwn. If you are reading it through any other means, please know that you are doing so on an unauthorized site/app. Thank you. 
> 
> Written for both AoSFicNet2 Promptober Day 2: Fall Drinks, and Earth vs Space - Team Space.

The door opened before Phil and Melinda could ring the doorbell. Lian ushered them in with a slight frown.

“You both look tanned. Have you been using sunscreen?”

“Ma” —Melinda actually rolled her eyes— “we flew in from Tahiti.”

“So?” Lian said. “Just because you live on a tropical island now doesn’t mean you should skip on sunscreen. In fact, you should use it more. You don’t want to spend your retirement fighting skin cancer.”

Melinda almost huffed. “Yes, we have been using sunscreen.”

Phil knew better than to join the mother-daughter dialogue. He grabbed the suitcases. “I am going to put these in the guest room.”

“Melinda’s room,” Lian corrected him. “You are not guests here. My daughter will always have a room in this house. It’s your home whenever you need it. Both of you.”

“Yes ma'am.” 

Phil took the suitcases. The robot hand was handy for heavy lifting. Not that they packed much. He and Melinda didn’t bring too many things to Tahiti with them to begin with. 

He placed the suitcases down in the bedroom. Lian had moved into the house after her divorce, and Melinda only visited the place occasionally as an adult. Even so, Melinda’s personality infused the room. The walls were painted a calming white with warm undertones. Few photographs and personal mementos lined the dresser, more than what Melinda had in their rented bungalow. A comfortable quilt covered the queen sized bed. Two pillows lay flat against the headboard. No decorative shams or fluffy blankets anywhere, but Phil knew from previous visits that the pillows were the perfect height and the quilt would keep him warm throughout the night. Well, that and Melinda. 

When Phil came out of the bedroom, he found Melinda sitting by the kitchen table with cups of steaming tea. He slid into the chair next to hers. There was a mug waiting for him. 

“What’s this?” Phil asked. “I thought you never put anything in your tea.” 

“It’s citron tea,” Melinda said. “No leaves, just fruit and honey.”

He took a sip. The hot liquid had a light sweetness to it without being cloying, and citrus scent filled his nostrils. “It’s good.”

“It’s basically marmalade, with citron peels suspended in sugar, honey, and pectin. You spoon it out and pour hot water over the mixture.” Melinda drank more of her tea. “My mother always make it for fall, claims it’s good for the body.”

“And here she has it ready for you.” Phil looked at the red and yellow leaves outside the window, a reminder that they were not on the beach anymore. “Where is your mother, by the way?”

“On the phone with Daisy, who wants to ask about your health without letting you know.”

“Seriously?”

Melinda gave him a look. 

“We didn’t retire because we are  _ old _ ,” Phil said.

“No, we retired because you were once stabbed through the heart, and we thought you were going to die from it eventually. You can’t blame Daisy for being anxious.”

“I don’t mind dying, as long as I can go out on my own terms.”

“Don’t say that.” Melinda glared at him. “I am not ready to give you up.”

“You are not getting rid of me yet,” Phil said. “I feel fine, and I want to treasure the time we have.”

He reached for her with his one hand. Melinda’s fingers were warm from the tea. He had lost so many things in the course of his career, but he had kept her friendship, and somewhere along the way, he had discovered love with his best friend. 

“Mel, are you happy?” 

“I am.” She looked at him. “Why are you asking me that?”

“Because I think it’s time to define our relationship,” Phil said. “I love you, and I know you love me…”

“Phil,” Melinda interrupted him. “We’ve been living together for the past three years. In Tahiti. You are not proposing in the middle of my mother’s kitchen.”

“Give me some credit, I know better than to do it here,” Phil said. 

“It?” 

“Get your mind out of the gutter,” Phil laughed. “Definitely not  _ it _ where your mother can walk in at any moment. I am not proposing right now. Because I think we need to talk about the ‘for as long as we both shall live’ part first.”

Melinda’s hand tensed in his. “Simmons said you’re fine at your last checkup.”

“I am,” Phil agreed. “We left S.H.I.E.L.D., said goodbye to all our friends and family, and went to Tahiti because we thought we only have a short time left. It’s been three years, and I am still kicking.” He stroked her palm. “Don’t you miss our life before?”

“I want this life, with you.”

“So do I,” Phil said. “And I want to live our life free of fear. I am going to die at some point. We all are. But I don’t seem to be dying just yet.”

“What do you want to do then? Go back to S.H.I.E.L.D.?”

Phil shook his head. “No. Mack is doing a great job as the director, and he’s grooming Daisy to take over when he retires from active duty. If I go back, my presence will undermine both of them as leaders. Besides, just because I am not dying now doesn’t mean I want to tempt fate and go back into the field.”

“So what are you suggesting?” Melinda asked.

“I want to build a home with you,” Phil said. “Some place real. With falling leaves and spring showers. Close enough for family and friends to visit. Maybe near the new Academy so we can both give guest lectures. A house with our photos on the walls.”

Melinda’s eyes were soft. “You are on leave raking duty. And snow shoveling.”

“I will ask Fitz if he can put in a yard mode for the hand,” Phil said. “Tahiti is a magical place, but it’s time for something real.”

“You and I, we are real.” Melinda held on to his hand. “Always.”

  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> If anyone wants to try citron tea, it’s usually sold in glass jars at Chinese, Japanese, or Korean grocery stores. It might be labeled as citron tea, youzi tea, or yuja tea. A great hot drink for fall!


End file.
